It's Only SEC (but I like it....)
GEORGE SOMERVILLE – THE TOUCHDOWN’s
SEC CORRESPONDENT
Week four
I know I say it every week, but man, the season is running away from us. Week Four is upon us, and SEC conference matchups are flying around every week. It’s football at its best, and we are so lucky to be able to witness this period in SEC football.
But before we head into Week Four, we need to look back at a fantastic Week 3 schedule, and THAT game in Oxford.
Elsewhere, the natives are restless in Arkansas; the President visits UT, but not that UT, but which is the original UT anyway?
Let’s see what nonsense we can talk about this week. Here are this week’s headlines.
this weeks sec Stories
Presidential seal of approval
Knoxville, TN
Not sure that there’s too much debate that game of the day, not just in the SEC but across college football, is the Texas Longhorns travelling into Neyland Stadium to face the Tennessee Vols.
How big a game is it? Well, you can tell when the sitting US president decides that he is going to attend the game.
So this week the announcement that the US president is going to attend the game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday has caused a bit of a stir. Why so?
Well, we have become accustomed to the extra tight security which surrounds the President. It’s not unusual for parts of the stadium to go into lockdown before, during and after the President arrives. However, Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian made a comment midweek that should the President decide to move at any point during the game, then all comms in the stadium are silenced. This includes the mic-to-helmet communications that both teams use during the game
“So, you have to have a plan for that, if and or when it happens and you don’t get any warning,” Sarkisian said during his midweek press conference. “It just cuts out. So, you have to have a plan for that and adjust. If he comes in the middle of the first quarter and leaves in the fourth quarter or if he decides use the restroom, whatever it is, you have to be prepared for that.”
What was of most interest was Sarkisian’s comment that exactly that scenario unfolded in the final moments of the 2026 National Championship game in Miami.
“A good friend of mine is Mario Cristobal,” Sarkisian told the Longhorn Network on Thursday. “Last year, when they were playing Indiana in the national championship, they had that drive at the end of the game; they had no communications because he was leaving early before the game ended. You get no warning; it just cuts out. You have to be prepared for that.”
This led to widespread speculation that perhaps the President’s movements had interrupted or affected that very last play of the National Championship game. Now there’s a controversy if you want to go looking for one….
What have you done for me lately?
Oxford, MS
REBS WIN!
Ole Miss defeated LSU in Oxford last weekend, exorcising some ghosts but especially signalling the end of Lane Kiffin’s time in Mississippi.
Thankfully we saw none of the shenanigans in Oxford that some predicted. No mustard bottles or golf balls were thrown in anger. Sure, the crowd was loud and vociferous, but no nonsense on the field or off it.
But what of the atmosphere which propelled the Rebels to victory and a 3-0 start to the season? I had the opportunity to ask Pete Golding about coaching in that kind of atmosphere
“I thought our fans and our students provided an unbelievable atmosphere, which has kind of been the norm around here, to be honest with you” Golding told me Wednesday.“I know there’s a little more juice to that one based on some of the circumstances, but we’ve been pretty successful at home, you know, since ’23 when I came, for sure. And a lot of that has to do with the environment that’s created. It’s a tough place to play with the noise and everything that goes with it, so… I thought our staff did a tremendous job with that, and Keith and everybody up top, and Glenn, a really good environment at home”.
gators up next
“Then we’ve got one of the tougher schedules in the country” Golding said about this week’s fixture.“it’s another work week for us. I mean, this is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business, so we can read all the press clippings and go back and watch the tape again, and pat ourselves on the back, but, you know, somewhere around Florida don’t give a shit about any of that, and so they’re gonna be ready to play, they’re really well coached, they got really good players, so, if our focus isn’t on ourselves, preparing really well”.
what about the tigers?
Miss Lisa has had enough
Apparently, Ms. Lisa has had enough: pic.twitter.com/3y7mekiNJS
— The Chuck & Bo Show (@chuckandboshow) September 14, 2026
Fayetteville, AR
Miss Lisa on a rant for the ages
It should be a new dawn over the Arkansas Football program. Ryan Silverfield has taken over from Sam Pittman, and despite a huge rebuilding process, change is afoot in Fayetteville.
So you would think that there is an air of positivity around the Arkansas football program. Well, no.
There is anger in Arkansas, and the fans are making their voices heard, albeit from an unexpected source. Miss Lisa is a 67-year-old Arkansas football fan who has been going to Fayetteville since she was 5 years old. Miss Lisa has become the voice of Arkansas fans this week after her spectacular call on local Arkansas radio this week. Her eight-minute appearance on The Chuck & Bo show caught the attention of Arkansas fans across the State. Miss Lisa has become something of a figurehead for Razorbacks fans and has now appeared on a number of media outlets voicing her complaints about how the football program is being run
“I haven’t slept in 48 hours. My nose peel has worn off. So hang on to your seats.” she started her call with on ESPN radio.
She continued….”I’ve been going regularly since I’ve been 5. And if my math is correct, this morning that’s 62 years. And they don’t give a you-know-what about me. They don’t care if I come or go. But if everybody starts feeling that way and they don’t get their six-figure or seven-figure check, then they might start getting a little nervous.”
It was as good a character assassination of Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek as you will find. Articulate and without profanity, Miss Lisa doubled down on her ire toward the Razorbacks’ AD.
“I wouldn’t even give him time to clean out his desk. I’d mail it to him UPS!”
“Everybody on that hill needs to be ran out of town on a donkey. No, Christ was on a donkey. That’s not good enough for them. I want them on the back of a turtle.”
A complicated picture
It’s an interesting time in Arkansas. There has been a power struggle in the community as a new Chancellor of the University has been appointed. In a politically charged campaign, two candidates ran for the position – Charles Robinson and Daniel Reed. Reed had the backing of the uber-wealthy Walton family, who own the Arkansas-headquartered Walmart Empire. Yet Arkansas does not receive as much money from the Walton family as you might expect. Throughout the campaign, a spokesperson for the Walton family constantly made the case for strong leadership in the University, pushing the case for Reed’s candidacy. In the end, Charles Robinson succeeded in the role. In a letter of support for Reed, the Walton family wrote: “Reaching this next stage of our growth will require visionary leadership and relevant expertise. Dr Reed is the right choice to get us there.”. With the failure to appoint their man, Arkansas local media has speculated that the Walton family is unlikely to commit additional funding going forward. Indeed, beat reporters have commented that the Waltons’ donations to sports programs have already slowed.
But this is where it gets interesting. The Walton family are only the third-biggest donor to the Razorbacks foundation. Razorbacks fans are often puzzled why this is the case. It seems there is an uneasy relationship between the University and the Billionaire family.
Where is Silverfield in all of this?
New Head Football Coach Silverfield finds himself firmly in the crossfire. Few expected the Razorbacks to upset Georgia, so Silverfield got something of a pass with that one. However, the heavy 43-10 defeat to Utah is what had the alarm bells ringing with the fans. Silverfield understands this but also knows the mammoth task of the job: rebuilding this roster with the lowest NIL budget in the SEC.
This week I spoke to Coach Silverfield about the expectations, which are unfairly high at this stage of his tenure, but with emotions reaching boiling point, Silverfield finds himself under fire.
“So the biggest thing is, you know, regardless of what’s happening on the outside, we’ve got the things that we need to manage and to grow and to show improvement upon, and so that’s for us, that’s the biggest thing” Silverfield told me on the SEC head Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday.
“And listen, it’s an everyday battle, and I think slowly but surely we’re heading in the right direction”.
Silverfield also talked about the rebuilding job, which he acknowledged at SEC Media Days in July as massive.
“I think anytime you have 80 new players and 60 new staff members, it doesn’t… it doesn’t just happen overnight, right? The gelling, the camaraderie, all those things. We worked very hard from January on to build some of those things and let it happen organically. Obviously time together, time in between those white lines at practices, bonding, meals, meetings, all of the above. But you see it happening better and better every day, and that’s kind of what I’ve felt like with this year is” Silverfield said.
“Yeah, we’re better today than we were in January, we’re better today than we were, week one, and that’s what we gotta see, is that steady improvement’s kind of just what I alluded to. But it’s been a constant deal that we preach and try to continue to make sure that we gel, that we build this thing together, that we find a way, to come together and keep swinging away”.
Trouble brewing?
Are kamario & fluff the best duo in the SEC?
Starkville, MS
In Oxford, there is a lot of excitement around the QB & running back duo of Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy. And rightly so. The dynamic duo were highly rated heading into the season and have lived up to those early expectations. We could easily be looking at one or two Heisman finalists at this stage.
Yet the Quarterback on the other side of the state in Starkville is capturing the imagination of a nation. Kamario Taylor is the name on everyone’s lips as the player who has come out of nowhere.
Which is largely unfair. Especially to those in and around the Hail State program. Those people, fans included, know that Taylor is the real deal. However, running back Fluff Bothwell hasn’t been talked about in quite the same way. The Alabama native joined the Bulldogs from South Alabama last season. His first year in Starkville promised much; however was plagued by injury. Bothwell rushed back from injury, which did him no favours in the long term, and his performances last season suffered.
a force to be reckoned with
This year, a fully fit Bothwell has started the season on fire. 48 carries for 280 rushing yards (ave 5.83 yards per carry) with 2 rushing touchdowns in his first three games has people talking about him and Taylor in the same vein as Chambliss and Lacy.
This week I asked Hail State Head Football Coach Jeff Lebby if Bothwell had flown under the radar this season. Lebby was emphatic in his response.
“Yeah, he’s not flying under the radar here, and with me or with us as a football team and a program” said Lebby during the SEC Head Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday.
“Love his playing style, who he is every day, the consistency that he has inside the building, and again, just his daily decisions to give him a chance to be as good as he can possibly be. So, proud of his start. We’re gonna need him in a big way Saturday” continued Lebby.
Week four SEC Schedule
Across the sec
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Texas (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at Tennessee (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
Series: TEX leads, 2-1
Noon ET • ABC
Last: TEX, 36-13 (1969 at Cotton Bowl)
Knoxville, Tenn. • Neyland Stadium (101,915)
South Alabama (2-1) at Kentucky (2-1, 1-1 SEC)
Series: First Meeting
12:45 p.m. ET • SEC Network
Lexington, Ky. • Kroger Field (61,000)
Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0 SEC) at Florida (3-0, 1-0 SEC)
Series: Tied, 13-13-1
3:30 p.m. ET • ABC
Last: UM, 34-24 (2025 at Oxford)
Gainesville, Fla. • Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (88,548)
Oklahoma (2-1, 0-0 SEC) at Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC)
Series: UGA leads, 1-0
3:30 p.m. ET • ESPN
Last: UGA, 54-48 OT (2018 at Rose Bowl)
Athens, Ga. • Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium (93,000)
Vanderbilt (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at Auburn (2-1, 0-1 SEC)
Series: VU leads, 23-22-1
3:15 p.m. CT • SEC Network
Last: VU, 45-38 (2025 at Nashville)
Auburn, Ala. • Jordan-Hare Stadium (88,043)
South Carolina (2-1, 0-1 SEC) at Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC)
Series: ALA leads, 13-4
6 p.m. CT • ESPN
Last: ALA, 29-22 (2025 at Columbia)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Bryant-Denny Stadium (100,077)
Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC) at LSU (2-1, 0-1 SEC)
Series: LSU leads, 32-25-3
6:30 p.m. CT • ABC
Last: Texas A&M, 49-25 (2025 at Baton Rouge)
Baton Rouge, La. • Tiger Stadium (102,321)
Missouri (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0 SEC)
Series: MIZ leads, 4-2
6:45 p.m. CT • SEC Network
Last: MIZ, 49-27 (2025 at Columbia)
Starkville, Miss. • Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field (60,311)
Tulsa (3-0) at Arkansas (1-2, 0-1 SEC)
Series: ARK leads, 55-16-3
7 p.m. CT • SEC+
Fayetteville, Ark. • Reynolds Razorback Stadium (76,000)
GEORGE SOMERVILLE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
GEORGE IS A LONG STANDING FANATIC OF LIFE AND FOOTBALL IN THE DEEP SOUTH AND WRITES HIS WEEKLY COLUMN CALLED “IT’S ONLY SEC” FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. HE IS ALSO CO-HOST AND ONE THIRD OF THE COLLEGE CHAPS PODCAST, THE UK’S FIRST PODCAST DEDICATED TO THE COLLEGE GAME.
